It’s unclear if the NCAA will deliver the “death penalty,” shutting down Penn State football for a minimum of one year. ESPN and other news outlets reported that it’s unlikely. But the PSU penalties might add up to something as bad, or worse.

The NCAA did not elaborate on the “measures.” However, multiple national news organizations, leaning on sources, indicate the PSU penalties will be substantial. A source told CBS News, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

This is merely the latest troubling domino to fall in State College. And one of the biggest.

The NCAA sanctions come on the heels of the university-commissioned report from former FBI Director Louis Freeh. The Freeh Report concluded that Joe Paterno, Penn State’s late former football coach, and other top university officials covered up allegations of child sex abuse made against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

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Last month, Sandusky was convicted of 45 charges of sexually abusing 10 boys. He likely will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Two other administrators — former Vice President Gary Schultz and Athletic Director Tim Curley — have been charged with perjury and failure to report allegations of abuse.

Emmert hinted at strong sanctions on July 16 during an appearance on Tavis Smiley’s PBS program. “I’ve never seen anything as egregious as this in terms of overall conduct and behavior inside of a university,” Emmert told Smiley.

And on that program, Emmert would not rule out the “death penalty,” saying, “I don’t want to take anything off the table.”

ESPN.com reported Sunday that PSU will not receive the death penalty but is expected to be tagged with scholarship and bowl ban penalties.

Stiff sanctions were expected.

The swiftness with which Emmert has arrived at them was not.

ESPN.com also reported Sunday that Emmert likely has received authority from the NCAA Division I Board of Directors to punish PSU without conducting its own investigation, typically with the use of a Committee on Infractions hearing.

So this is Emmert’s call.

The football program must brace for a crippling blow. Penn State football’s present and future will be affected for many, many years.

That’s a tough fact of life for first-year coach Bill O’Brien — he signed a five-year deal in January — to digest.

The possibility of no bowl games in the near future. The possibility of substantial scholarship cuts. That’s tough to sell to Penn State’s future recruiting classes.

Coaching and player development take a Division I program only so far. You have to have the players to win games. If you don’t win, you won’t fill up your 100,000-seat stadium.

And Penn State football is the cash cow that foots the bill for almost all of the university’s other sports. Penn State’s football program delivered a $53 million profit in 2011.

The class also includes two other Harrisburg-area kids — Central Dauphin linebacker Zayd Issah and Hershey offensive lineman Andrew Nelson.

On Saturday, PSU lost a commitment, New Jersey defensive lineman Greg Webb, who flipped his commitment to North Carolina.

PSU has yet to receive any verbal commitments for the 2014 class.

As a general rule, big-name recruits love to play in big-name bowl games.

No big-name bowl games for Penn State might mean no big-name players.

If Emmert unloads on Penn State today, will the Lions’ coaches be able to out-recruit the likes of Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten and programs such as Maryland, Rutgers and Pittsburgh outside the Big Ten? Expect competing coaches to urge recruits to avoid Penn State at all cost.

And what about the current PSU players?

Any type of bowl ban likely would begin immediately, meaning the Lions’ seniors would be looking at no chance of a postseason game. Their careers will not end the way they envisioned them when they signed to play at Penn State.

Can you blame any of Penn State’s younger players if they want to transfer out of the program?

A number of players, reacting on their Twitter accounts to Sunday’s news of pending “punitive measures,” were standing by the Penn State program.

“The hotter the fire, the stronger the steel,” wrote PSU senior starting quarterback Matt McGloin on his Twitter account.

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